Hired Husband. Rebecca Brandewyne

Cosmetics. I certainly don’t want to see all your hard work wasted. And after all, it’s not as though it’ll be a real marriage…I mean, not in any true sense of the word….” Her voice trailed away awkwardly.

      “Thank you so much, Caroline. I knew I could count on you.” Kate smiled and hugged her granddaughter warmly before turning to the others in the room. “Sterling, Jake, why don’t the three of us go someplace else to discuss all the necessary arrangements?” she suggested tactfully. “Give Caroline and Nick some time alone together. I know they must have things they want to talk over between themselves at the moment.” She glanced thoughtfully at the now officially engaged couple. “We’ll see the two of you later.”

      Shortly afterward, Caroline and Nick were alone in the office, she fidgeting nervously with her skirt, unable to meet his eyes, unable even now to believe this was all happening, that it was actually real.

      This man was going to become her husband. She thought she must be mad to have consented to such a plan. Unbidden, visions of her wedding night suddenly rose in her mind, and doubt gnawed at her. After all, what did she really know about Nick Valkov, other than that he was a brilliant chemist?

      Even though Fortune Cosmetics ran extensive background checks on its executive personnel, what if the IRS were right and he truly were a former KGB agent? What if once he got his ring on her finger and his bonus money in his bank account, he decided not to keep his part of the bargain, decided he wanted to exercise his husbandly rights?

      Caroline’s imagination ran wild, wreaking havoc on her emotions and senses.

      “I…ah…know this can’t be easy for you, Ms. Fortune.” Nick spoke at last, breaking the silence that lay heavily between them. “And I want to take this opportunity to thank you so much for agreeing to help me out of my difficulties this way.”

      “Caroline…my name is Caroline,” she reminded him softly. “If we’re going to be married, you can’t keep on calling me Ms. Fortune. Otherwise, the INS will know something is wrong, that our marriage is a sham—and then it will all be for nothing, won’t it?”

      “Yes, of course, you’re absolutely right. Caroline it is, then. And I’m Nick.” He paused for a moment, as though gathering his thoughts. Then he continued. “Look, let’s be perfectly honest with each other. This is not what either of us might have wished for and a very awkward situation for us both. But there are things we can do to make it easier.”

      “Such as?”

      “Well, for one, we can spend a little time getting to know each other better. We’re going to be husband and wife, and although we’re not lovers, I’d like to think we can at least be friends during the duration of our marriage. Second, there are some matters we’ll have to attend to right away. I’d like us to be wed sometime this week, as for obvious reasons, I’m in a hurry and so can’t really afford to wait around while we plan a huge wedding that will be publicized in all the newspapers and will wind up attracting the INS’s notice, besides. I’m sure a quick trip to the courthouse wasn’t what you imagined for your wedding day, but under the circumstances, I know you’ll agree it’s for the best. We also need to figure out where we’re going to live, whether you should move in with me or I should move in with you.”

      “This has all been so sudden, so unexpected and unsettling that I—I really hadn’t given any of that any thought,” Caroline confessed, abruptly rising from her chair and striding to the bank of windows that overlooked the city below. She stared out of them blindly, still beset by a sense of unreality. “Of course I think we should at least try to be friends, and yes, the courthouse and this—this weekend will be…fine, I guess. I hadn’t—I hadn’t realized we’d be married so soon, but I suppose it’s for the best to secure your position against the INS. As for—for living together, I have an apartment in the city, not far from Fortune Cosmetics. It’s not large, but it is convenient.”

      “For your sake, I think we should consider privacy as opposed to proximity. So I suggest you move into my house instead,” Nick replied, standing and moving to join her at the windows. “It’s got plenty of room, so we won’t be on top of each other. Besides which, if the INS decides to investigate our marriage, it would probably be more believable for us to say that we retained your apartment because we both often work late hours at Fortune Cosmetics and needed someplace to stay overnight in the city on those occasions, than it would be for us to say that we kept my house as a weekend retreat.”

      “All right.” Caroline finally worked up courage enough to turn and face him. “Dr. Valkov…Nick, I have to apologize to you. I’ve been so busy thinking about myself that I’ve only just this moment realized this can’t be any easier for you than it is for me. Yet you’ve tried to put me at ease, and I appreciate that. I want you to know that I’ll try not to disrupt your life any more than necessary, and I hope you’ll do the same for me.”

      “Agreed.” He smiled down at her—a smile that did not quite reach his dark eyes, which, to her surprise, she saw were shadowed with concern for her. “However, in order to fool the INS, we will need to present a solid front and to concoct some story about our having fallen in love here on the job and eloped. Thank heavens you’re such a sensible, prudent, reserved woman, Caroline. We can perhaps suggest that you didn’t want the fuss of and attention attracted by a big society wedding, so that’s why we chose to go the courthouse route.”

      Unexpectedly, she felt a sense of pique at Nick’s characterization of her personality. She tried to tell herself it didn’t matter what he thought about her. But somehow, that didn’t help.

      Sensible. Prudent. Reserved. Was that really how he saw her? Was that how everybody saw her? Caroline asked herself, distressed. Of course it was. She knew that behind her back, Fortune Cosmetics’ employees referred to her as the Ice Queen.

      Not for the first time, she thought it certainly didn’t make her sound as though she were any fun, the kind of woman a man would want to be with. Before, she hadn’t cared; she hadn’t wanted a man in her life. But now, like it or not, she was going to be Nick’s wife.

      “I—I suppose I’m not at all the sort of woman to whom you’re usually attracted.”

      “Actually, I find you very attractive, Caroline,” Nick declared quietly. “I just think you’re a little up-tight, that’s all. However, I’m sure it’s nothing I can’t live with, that we can’t deal with together. After all, we’re both adults—and as I said earlier, my house is plenty big enough for the both of us. Why don’t we plan on driving out there later today? That way, you can take a look around, decide what bedroom you think would suit you best. Then we can start getting your things moved in.”

      “This is really happening, isn’t it? We’re actually going to get married, aren’t we?” Caroline smiled falteringly, trying to make light of the matter. “Somehow, I keep expecting to wake up and find out it’s all just a dream.”

      “I know. I feel the same way,” Nick admitted, running one hand raggedly through his hair. “But, yes, it’s real, and together we’ll just have to try and make the best of it. And we will, Caroline. I promise you that.” He paused, taking a deep breath, before he smiled down at her again—this time a roguish grin that, despite herself, managed somehow to set her pulse racing. “And now, I suppose we’d better get to work. I’ve got a ton of things to do in the lab if I’m going to bring your grandmother’s secret youth formula to fruition.”

      “If you don’t mind, Nick, I think I’d like to be alone for a little while to try to come to grips with our situation, to get some perspective on it. So you go on. And when you’re ready to take that drive out to your house, why don’t you buzz my office? I’ll have my secretary clear my calendar for the remainder of the day, so I’ll be at your disposal.”

      “Well, in spite of everything, I have to admit I like the sound of that,” he drawled insolently, grinning wickedly at her once more, impervious to her sudden scowl and flush of embarrassment. “Oh, hell. Lighten up, Caro. After all, it isn’t every day that a person gets engaged. Besides, it could be worse. It